Alive
by Vee-sempai
Summary: Sequel to "The Day". Sakura isn't the only one with a crush... it's Sasuke's turn.


***  
  
Author's Note- This is the sequel to my other Naruto fic, "The Day." The style is different, but the ideas are similar. The pairing is again a surprise, but probably not a very good one.  
  
***  
  
If the world didn't start looking up today, Uchiha Sasuke was going to throw himself off a bridge.  
  
It wasn't necessarily the case that he was suicidal. Just frustrated. And if there was an emotion that Sasuke had never dealt with well, it was frustration, pure and simple. Being in a situation that he could do completely nothing about, even if it was a situation very common for a sixteen-year-old boy, was not something he appreciated. He was a ninja, of an advanced bloodline. There were very few in the world who could compare to him. He was cold, aloof, and alone, and that was the way he liked it. It wasn't fair that there was a situation he couldn't get out of. It went against the natural law of the universe.  
  
But Sasuke was head-over-heels in love.  
  
And there was not one damn thing he could do about that.  
  
Love was really a pain in the ass. It interfered with his training, with his fighting. It occupied his mind when he was trying to read. It inhabited his dreams to the point that he could barely sleep for fear of losing his mind to it again. It had clouded his logic to the point where he had actually admitted the problem to someone.  
  
Of course, Haruno Sakura had been the exact wrong person to tell.  
  
"Sasuke-kun, you're staring again."  
  
"Eh-?" He started out of his brooding, raising his gaze to the flashing green eyes. Sakura scowled at him, brows lowering in a familiar, fierce expression.  
  
"I was talking to you, Sasuke-kun. Were you even listening?"   
  
"No," he replied honestly. "Where you saying anything important?"  
  
"…No." Sakura scowled again, but relented soon enough, kicking her legs girlishly against the bench they shared. "…Ne… Sasuke-kun…"  
  
"What?" This girl was going to be the death of him.  
  
"Don't you think it's nice to be in love?"  
  
Sasuke blinked, eyeing her suspiciously. "Nice…?" he repeated dumbly.  
  
"Yeah, nice!" Sakura blushed slightly, avoiding his eyes. "I mean, even if you aren't sure the feelings are returned, don't you like feeling that strongly for someone…?" Her hands twisted slowly together in her lap, eyes growing distant. Sakura was always this way when she talked about love- it annoyed him, in some respects, but it also produced a certain amount of envy. Even though she could be quite the silly girl when it came to matters of the heart, she understood what she was talking about… probably better than he ever could.  
  
"It's annoying." It wasn't quite the truth, and they both knew it. But Sakura didn't challenge his answer, letting him keep his pride.  
  
  
  
"You always seem so much more alive," the girl said softly, almost like an afterthought. "Like your life has meaning again…"  
  
Sasuke shrugged wordlessly, even knowing she was right.  
  
They sat in silence for a long while, the light spring wind rustling over them both. There was a feeling of companionship between them in moments like these; no matter the many differences between them, they were two teenagers in love. They were vastly different people, their crushes as different as night and day, but the feeling was still by and large the same.  
  
"Oi, Sasuke, Sakura-chaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaan!"  
  
"Naruto!" Sakura practically jumped up from the bench, waving an arm in welcome. Sasuke heaved a sigh, rubbing regretfully at his temples. So much for the remainder of his peace and quiet…   
  
"Hey, hey hey hey, whatcha doin'?" The old bench practically cracked under the sheer force of Uzumaki Naruto as he launched from the path to wedge himself between them.   
  
"We were just… talking…" Sakura attempted a bright smile, eyeing Sasuke carefully. He gave her no sign, no help, which he would undoubtedly pay for later. He could feel Naruto looking back and forth between them, confusion radiating off him in nearly tangible waves, but he wasn't about to look up. That would require explanations.  
  
"Talking 'bout what?" Naruto persisted.   
  
"Just… things!" Sakura laughed airily, but the edge of danger in her voice prickled along Sasuke's spine. With a sigh, he lifted his head and regarded Naruto.   
  
"What do you want, anyway?" he inquired shortly. "Run out of other people to annoy the Hell out of?"  
  
Naruto scowled at him, socking a fist into his shoulder. "Well, I definitely didn't come t' see you, jerk." To top off the incredibly mature comeback, he stuck out his tongue.   
  
Sasuke sighed, rubbing his temples. "You're a dumbass," he informed as politely as possible.  
  
"What the Hell, man? You wanna fight?!"  
  
"Fine!" he retorted before thinking. It was a challenge from his eternal rival, after all, and such a thing was not to be ignored.  
  
The sun was setting in the distance as the two boys sprung up from the bench, Naruto taking the lead as he sprinted into the field just beyond. Sasuke was prepared to follow, the familiar burn of chakra spreading through his veins, when the soft laugh behind him broke into his perception.  
  
"What, Sakura?" he snapped in irritation, poised for flight.  
  
"Like I said," she pointed out, smiling beatifically. "You look so alive, Sasuke-kun."  
  
He was only faintly aware of the blush that rose to his cheeks, brow furrowing in consternation. "Shut up, Haruno," he snapped, turning away. She would never learn.  
  
  
  
"Oi, Sasuke! You're slow!"  
  
And neither would he, it seemed. 


End file.
